Fiber-decorticating machine.



O. SHBEHAN.

FIBER DECORTIGATING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED DBO. 4, 1907.

Patented J an. 27, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

O. SHEEHAN.

FIBER DECORTICATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED BECA, 1907.

1,085,228. Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@Noruega @lvl/kwamen @wx-W o DMT-ED. T-ATES OWEN snnnnnmor NEW Bnnronn, 'mhssanrsnzrrs assIeNOn To THE HOLLINGS- won'rn AND vosn COMPANY, orros'rONjmAssaOHUsmTs, A CORPORATION or MASSCHUSETTS.

Speclcat'ion of yLetters Patent. f

FIBER-DECORTICATING MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 27, 1.914.

Mandantin mea nebenher 4, 19071 serial No. 405,110.

To all whom et may concern?. ,i

lBe it Iknown that I, OWEN -Sinner,liAflIa a citizen of the I'United States, residing -at New Bedford, inthe county of Bristolfan'd. State of Massachusetts,.have invented'oertain new anduseful Improvements in Eiber-Decortieating Machines; and 1-ido hereby declare the following to.. be a full, clear, `andexact description of the invention, such as will enable othersgskilledlin theart to which 1t ap pertains yto make andusethe saine.'v

'.My inventionarelates to. :decortloating ma` inafter described andspecilied `:in the claims.

s In the/accompanying drawings, illustrating the preferred-embodiment of my-invention Figure v1 is a broken sldeelevationof themachine.` Fig. 2 is a .plan View, and IIF-1g.

-' 3 is a detailed viewof affragment ofone of the/endless aprons' kand -a part of one of the chains'seoured toits edge/ f :fi-In carrying out my.A invention', iI .employ toothed bars l suitably-mountedfon onel end of -the supporting; frame2 Of.- the machine andadapted to be' turned toeither a ho r, zontal or vertical sition forvsplittmg dbi-ons. substances-o different lengths by means oahandle2 substantially as shown and descrfbed in mqvfpending application referred, to ylierein; y 'll` l1 e,teeth on each bar are spaced dierently from thoseon theother Pairs jef' f lutedfpr draft. rolls. 3 y and tooth-bearing cleaning @rolls alare., arranged in,suceessiongfthegdluied rolls being placed between the combs and the cleaningfrolls. Next in order are upper-and lower scraper aprons 5 and 6, nreerbytmdeofe rubber' mesh material, mounted on Vrollers 7, 8 and 9 1 0 1 :espe ctively The upper rollers 7 'and Sr'e' inuntedin" bearings 11, 12 adjustable vertically by means of the set screws 13,`1 1,'

Each of the aprons carries transverse bars 15, 16, preferably iron, which are V-shaped -1n cross section, and are arranged equidistant apart- .4 The bars 15 on the upperapron fall midway between adjacent .bars -16 `on' the lower apron. The' object ofthe vertical adjustment of the bearings 11 and 12 of the upper apron-carrying rollers 7 and 8 is to regulate the degree of mesh between the bars on the two aprons. The form of saidlbars permit them to actmore eiciently. uponthe `fibrous material-passed between them. than do the usualstraight strips and there is no danger of injuring said material. l 1 The shafts on which therollers 7 8, Q and 1 0. are, mounted -also'- carry pairs of sprocket 2 Wheels. 17- 18 19. andil.20-.f They Sprocket wheels lfg'fare mounted onthe opposite ends the other, sprocket wheels are -similarly arrangedgwith relation 4to the other rollers 8, Qiandpl.. A sprooletehain 21 passesover one-of `the sprocketfwheels-,N andone of the sprocket wheels 18, anothers Vrocket chain 22 passesover. the Otherones O said wheels 17 and 1 8, and the sprocket wheels19- and20 of the lower rollers are similarly provided with sprocketl vchains Each chain. runs. along one edge of one ofthe ,apronsand is provided about every. sixY inches with a yspecial link 251hav-ing laterally projecting lugs .26 whichvare securedtothe edge ofthe apron. By this meansI lthe aprons are positively drivenan d do. .not have to ,depend upon frictional contactwith their rollers to maintain the V-shaped. bars, On :one apronf in proper relation to those on the otherapron. Meshing gears 27 and 28, mounted respectively on the shafts .carrying the rollers 8.and 1,0,serve to drive said sprocket wheels.. A.

At theend ofthe aprons there isarr'an d a air of plain delivery rolls 29, 30, pre er'- ab y` made of wood. .The speed of these rolls is much higher-thanthe speedof the aprons whereby the .ibelffwhen` engaged with said rolls-is drawn oven-the rods carried by said aprons and given an additional scraping before it is dropped upon thefloor.

.Allofthe rolls and the aprons `are driven fremihe, mein dfi'Ye Shaft 31 Carrying a rulley .E32-Sand a. gearwheel 33. v'The pulley 32 Aiswc'on'nect'ed up with a pulley 34 on an auX- ilia l shaft orspindle 35 by means of the 'ybelt'd Thegear wheel 33 meshes with a `gear on the shaft of the apron carrying roller 10. On the auxiliary spindle 35 there are mounted two pulleys 38 and 39, the

of the. roller inside 'of its bearingswhile` former of which carries a belt 40 also passing over a pulley 41 on the shaft of the lower lluted roll, and the latter of which carries a belt 42 running over the pulle 43 on the shaft of t-he lower cleaning ro l. The delivery rolls carry meshing gears 44 and 45. The lower one of said delivery rolls also has a pinion 46 which meshes with the gear wheel 33 on the main drive shaft. It will be noted that the ratios between the various drive pulleys are such that each successive pair of rolls and the aprons are revolved at a greater speed from the fluted rolls to` the delivery rolls.

A portable water tank 47 is fitted snugly under the machine frame and is divided into' two compartments 48 and 49 by a screen 50. A pipe 51 leads from the compartment 49 ,to a pump 52. Another ipe 53 leads from said pump and extends ongitudinally above the machine. The under surface of said pipe is perforated to deliver a shower upon the iluted rolls, cleaning rolls and scra er aprons. The latter are made of rub r mesh material to permit the water showered upon them to pass freely through to the tank below, rubber being preferably used because it is less effected by moisture, whereas metal would rust and textile fabric rot.

When the machine is in operation, the ends of the lants or leaves are fed between the luted ro ls, the leaves bein split by the toothed bars or combs when eslred. The material then asses between the cleaning rolls which cut into and throw off the pulpy matter.A From thence the material asses between the scraper a rons and nally through the deliver rol s. During the operation of the mac ine, the pump is operated by suitable mechanism and draws the water from compartment 49 of the tank 47 and forces it through the perforated pipe 53. The shower from said pipe falls upon the iiuted rolls, cleaning rolls and aprons, to soften and wash the pulpy matter, into the compartments 48 of the tank thereby keeping said rolls and aprons clean and free from sald pul y matter which would otherwise adhere ereto. The 'pul y matter remains in this compartment whi e the water passes through the screen 50 into the compartment 49 and is used over again. The water falling from the pipe 53 passes freely through the meshes o the material of which the aprons are m de.

I claim:

l. A machine of the character described comprising a toothed bar arranged at the eedlng end of themachine, means to turn 1,osa,aae

said bar to bring its teeth Ainto operative positlon for splittin the fiber-bear1ng substances, a pair of c eaning rolls, a pair of draft rolls arranged betweensaid toothed Y bar and cleaning rolls for drawing said substances across said bar, a pair of endless scraper aprons located at the delivery side of said rolls, a pair of delivery rolls arranged at the other end of sa'id aprons, and means to drive said aprons at a` greater speed than said cleaning rolls, and said delivery rolls at a greater speed than said aprons for drawing the fiber out from its pulley-coating which is se arated and wit held by sai cleaning rols and scraper a rons.

2. In adecorticating mac ine, the combination, with cleanin and scraping apparatus, of a shower pipe arranged over the same, a tank located below the same` for catching the water and pulpy matter washed from said cleaning and scraping apparatus means for conveying the water from sai tank to said shower pipe, and means toV strain the water in said 4tank before itenters said shower pipe. I 5

3. In a machine of the character :de-

scribed, the combination, with a, pair of scraper aprons made of rust proof mesh material and having scraper bars mounted thereon, for the purpose specified, said aprons being arranged one above the other, of means to turn said aprons in o positie directions so that the adjacent portlons theref of travel in the same direction, means to feed material between said a rons, and a shower pipe arranged above an extending over said aprons and adapted to deliver water thereon for the purpose specified. 4. In a machine of the character described, the combination, with cleaning rolls, draft rolls and sera r aprons, the latter being arran one a ve the other, of means to turn said aprons in opposite directions so that the adjacent portions thereof travel in the same direction, said aprons bein made of rust proof mesh material and aving scraper bars mounted thereon, said cleaning rolls being arranged between said draft rolls and a rons, and means to actuate said rolls, of a s ower pipe arranged above and extending over all of said rolls and aprons and adapted to deliver water thereon for th purpose specified.

In testimony whereof, I ax my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

QWEN SHEEHAN. Witnesses: l

Emmi. M. Snow, DAVID J. GCONNELL..

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